Basic Requirements

Altar/Altar Cloth/Altar Candles: The altar should be in the center of the circle area, facing the Eastern quarter. The altar cloth should always be yellow for the High Earth Rite of Balemas. (This is only if you are using a regular rectangular altar.) The two main altar candles should be yellow.

Other Candles: The four quarter candles should be blue in the West, red in the South, yellow (or gold) in the East, and green in the North. All other secondary candles used for extra lighting in the ritual area should be of various shades of forest green or suited to personal taste.

Special Items: A small wreath of flowers will be needed to serve as a crown for the May Queen. These can be easily made. Another optional item is the May pole and its ribbon streamers. A large candle will be needed for the cauldron as a symbol for the balefire unless the rite is held outdoors, in which case kindling in preparation for a small balefire will be needed in the area of the Southern quarter.

Circle Area/Casting the Circle/Assemblance of the Quarters

Prepare the circle with decorations of cut flowers or greenery, as appropriate. (The author recommends hawthorne blossoms.) The circle should be cast according to you or your coven's preference and the Quarters will be called in accordance with the coven's or your personal needs (the author reminds us that East has preeminence for Balemas).

Invocation of the Goddess

Priestess:

Hallowed Lady of the Hawthorn,
Godddess of the greenwood groves,
we call upon Thee in the season of Thy Sensuality,
as Thy blossom opens to the amorous advances of our Lord, Thy Lover.
In Thy union is the fertility of Spring,
and the beckoning whisper of young desire.

Touch us with the breath of Thy passion,
that we might seek for the ectasy of life!
Inflame us with the fever of Thine inmost longings
that we not be satisfied until our oneness
with the God is consummated!

Capture us with the fragrances of Thine allurement,
that we may be overwhelmed with an obsession for Thy presence!
Bright Maiden of May, be here among us as we celebrate
the Beltane blessings of Thy bridal-bed!
Blessed Be!

Invocation of the Satyr Lord

Priest:

Horned God of power and play,
we hear the music of Thy melodious pipes
enchanting our ears upon the evening wind!
Beneath the fullness of the May-night Moon
Thy silhouette plays hide-and-seek
among the shadows of silver-tipped trees;
Thy hooves striking sparks like shooting stars
as they step in spritely patterns
to the rhythm of the Ways of the Wild.

Holy Pan of the shepherds' shrine,
Goat-footed God, Faunus of the forest glades,
we beseech Thee to be here among us
as we revel in Beltane abandon
beneath the swirling streamers of Thy phallic staff,
dancing by the light of the balefire's glow!

Sovereign Satyr Lord, be pleased within this Circle to remain,
as we celebrate Spring and the beginning of Thy reign!
Blessed Be!

Kindling of the Balefire

The preistess and the priest will go to the kindling prepared for the fire (if the rite is held outdoors) located near the Southern quarter of the circle. Otherwise, a candle within the cauldron is substituted. The priest will light the balefire as the following incantation is recited by the priestess:

Priestess:

Strike the fire and let it rise,
Beltane flames 'neath Spring-night skies!
Ancient customs we now renew,
'Tween dusky dark and evening dew!
Fire with warmth of Summer shine,
Invoking Gods from Older Times
For fertile crops with Sun-fed rays,
Gardens of plenty and golden days!

Crowning of the May Queen OR Floral Offering to The Goddess

At this point, the priest (or acting Satyr Lord) shall go to the altar and take up the garland-crown of flowers. He will then stand facing the priestess (or acting Maiden), lifting the crown above her head as he speaks the words of her coronation as the May Queen.

The Satyr Lord:

I give priase to Thee,
vibrant Goddess of youth and sensuality;
Lady of Spring, exuberant Earth maiden,
dancing in joyous abandon across hillside and field
in vivacious hues of brightness,
exuding the wondrous essence of waving wildflowers.

Wherefore I offer unto Thee
this floral crown of Thy creation,
laid now upon Thy daughter's head
as the woven splendor of Nature's art;
the many-colored Crown of May,
scented with the mystery and majesty
that is the Maiden!

All Hail, Lady Fair,
with flowered garlands for Thy hair!

All:

All Hail, Lady Fair,
with flowered garlands for Thy hair!

The Great Rite

If this is a custom practiced within your coven, please follow your traditions.

Parting Prayers

Priestess:

Maiden Lady, Queen of May,
bestow upon us in overflowing measure
Thy youthful passsion for love and life
as we rejoice in the sensual stirrings of the season.

All Hail, Farewell, and Blessed Be!

Priest:

Sovereign Satyr Lord, Pan of the Pagan Ways,
at this Sabbat of Springtime's warmth,
bestow upon us the heated breath of Thy lust for living
as we depart this sacred space with the joyous blessings
of Thy Beltane benediction.

All Hail, Farewell, and Blessed Be!

Dismissal of the Quarter-Regents/Releasing the Circle

At this time the quarters can be dismissed and the circle released, per your tradition. It's time for the the Beltane festivities to begin! The priestess may close with this benediction.

Priestess:

This rite of Balemas is ended!
May the love of the Maiden and the Satyr Lord
go with us as we venture onward
into the warming fullness of Summer's promise!

Merry Meet and Merry Part!

This ritual has been adapted from information obtained from The Crafted Cup by Shadwynn.

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A Ritual for One from Rae Beth's 'The Wiccan Path'

Preparation

Prior to this rite you should have made ready a wooden wand. This should be a branch from an Oak or Hazel tree. Remember, do not take the wood from a living tree!

The wood can be cut into the rough shape of a phallus in which case it should be of the appropriate size and shape. On the other hand, a simple branch, peeled of its bark, and about 13 inches long and half an inch thick is also acceptable. Place the wand upon your alter within the Circle.

Prepare a dish of earth and place it upon the alter beside the wand.

The Rite

Cast the Circle and invoke the Lady and the Lord. After the invocation, dance and chant to raise power for magical activities and then earth the power into an unlit candle, placed inside the cauldron, at the center of the circle. Chant the following (or make up your own!):

Beltane!
I dance with delight
on Beltane's night.
All senses freeing,
I dance for being.
The flower and the flame
of love's own rite
shall blossom. Sun
embrace Earth, bright.

Light the candle to the Sun. This is the Beltane fire, our modern substitute for the hilltop bonfires of our ancestors. The Bel fire is an invocation to the Sun God to bring blessing and protection for the coming year. This is sacred fire with healing and purifying properties. As you light the candle, be aware of its power and significance. Say:

I light this candle to the Sun.

Now take up a dish of earth. Bless it in the name of the Goddess.

Lay your hands upon it and say:

I bless, consecrate, and set apart this earth,
in the name of the Triple Goddess. May this
be sacred earth, set apart for magic. For
earth is of the Goddess, being her sacred body.

Remember that the Goddess is not only of the Moon, but of the Earth and of the farthest stars. She is the Triple Goddess of the Circle of Rebirth, the Mother of All Life. Decorate the dish of earth with flowers.

Now, take a wooden wand and oil it with vegetable oil. Bless it in the name of the Lord of the Day, the youthful, ardent one, the Lord of Life, the God of the greenwood. Pass it swiftly through the candle flame, the Bel fire, so that it becomes magically imbued, 'charged', with power. Place the wand upon the dish of earth, saying as you hold it there:

As the wand is to the earth,
so the male is to the female
and the Sun to our blossoming world.
Joined, they bring happiness.
May the God of Life give ___ {something you want, for example, peace on Earth}
May the Goddess bring it forth!

Sit quietly for a while, and picture the blossoming of what you have desired in life. The spells and invocations of all of us, all working on themes like these, must eventually bear fruit, because life is on the side of peace. Leave the earth and wand upon the alter.

Walk deosil three times around the circle, then spiral into the center. Go evenly, with grace, meditatively. Sit beside the candle flame, allowing yourself to feel peaceful. Gaze into the flame.

The next part is different depending on whether you are man or woman.

For a Woman: visualize a red rosebud in your womb. Always your womb is the source of your creative power, whether you are pregnant with a child, an idea, a work of art or an intention. Close your eyes and picture the light from the candle streaming into your womb so that the rosebud blooms, unfolds. Hold the image for a while, feeling the silkiness, smelling the scent, the freshness, seeing the color of the fully open rose within you. Feel the strength and power of your own fully blossomed capabilities. Say:

I am woman,
strong to conceive and to create,
to give birth and to tend.
As I am daughter of the Goddess,
and blessed by the God, may I ___

{here name what you wish to bring forth in life. For example bring healing to others or write my book whatever matters to you}

Feel the strength and creative force within your womb, the center of your being. See the power being channeled, flowing into the desire you have just voiced. Open your eyes. Always, the rose is within you.

For a Man: Visualize a bright flame. This burns within your sexual center, a point at the base of the stomach, just above the pubic hairline. It is your own male strength and energy which may rise through your body to be released as giving, fertilizing power, in any form, or may be the potency which impregnates, creating a physical child. It is the force which blesses and bestows, a healing and creative energy, like the shining Sun. Visualize also that you are sitting in a garden and that a rose tree is in front of you, the roses in bud. Say:

I am man,
and in my passion is beauty,
in my warmth is life.
As I am son of the Goddess,
and blessed by the God,
I offer my strength and vitality to ____

{name the area of life, the place, activity, or committment you choose}

Visualize the light streaming from you to a rose upon the tree causing it to unfold, to blossom. Your flame is lowered by this effort. Much has gone out of you, the flame sinks down. Wait and watch, until a pink light streams from the rose towards your body. At its touch, just above the pubic hairline the flame resurges. It burns highter and stronger than before. Open your eyes. The flame is always within you.